Brittany Ferries ship forced to divert after ‘multiple crew members unwell’ on journey to Plymouth from France

A SHIP bound for Britain has been forced into an emergency diversion after multiple crew members fell ill.

The Brittany Ferries vessel was on its way to Plymouth in Devon but stopped unexpectedly instead in the French port of Brest at 11.30pm yesterday.

The decision to dock early came after several employees on the boat reported feeling unwell.

No passengers are thought to have been affected by the illness but they have received an apology from the ship's owners.

One traveller described how an announcement was made telling them the ferry had to divert to Brest "for a medical reason".

Emergency vehicles were spotted at the port in western France when they arrived.

The vessel named Pont Aven, had set off from Santander in northern Spain on Monday at 5pm.

A spokesperson for Brittany Ferries told : "A number of crew members on board Brittany Ferries’ Pont-Aven reported being unwell.

"As a precaution, the ship - currently on its scheduled sailing from Santander to Plymouth - diverted to the port of Brest to allow shore-based medical teams to carry out a full medical evaluation."

The company said the diversion came after they consulted French coastguard officials.

It was unclear when the ship was now expected to arrive in Plymouth although passengers say they were warned they faced "at least a five-hour delay".

Brittany Ferries added: "At this stage we do not know whether affected crew members will disembark in Brest, or at what time the ship will be able to continue its journey to Plymouth.

"We apologise to passengers affected by the diversion and delay, and would like to thank them for their patience."